In Scottsdale, Ariz., first baseman Brandon Belt signs autographs for fans before the Giants' first spring exhibition game, against the Los Angeles Angels.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

In Scottsdale, Ariz., first baseman Brandon Belt signs autographs...

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San Francisco Giants infielder Nick Noonan turns the double play to end a Los Angeles Angels treat in the 8th inning of their exhibition spring training baseball game Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Pitches were thrown, balls were struck, things happened, but the Giants' first exhibition game officially began in the fourth inning at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday after Angel Pagan bounced a single to right.

This is a man who doesn't so much run the bases as he prowls them, like a leopard. The batter was Marco Scutaro, and suddenly the essence of a world championship team came to life: The first baseman trying to hold Pagan close to the bag. The second baseman shading toward the middle, wary of a stolen base. A massive hole in the right side of the infield, beckoning Scutaro's off-field stroke like a magnet.

Nobody really knew who the Giants were playing. It said "Angels" on the schedule, but this was a bunch of minor-leaguers - not a star or even a regular in the bunch. It hardly mattered. Giants baseball isn't about an otherworldly event in the hands of Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton or Mike Trout. It's about Pagan and Scutaro in subtle, sublime concert.

Pagan did steal second, easily, and then Scutaro waved his magic wand, guiding a groundball to second that advanced his man to third. Pablo Sandoval stepped in, complete with his cleat-tapping, bat-scrawling ritual, ready to hit any pitch as long as it arrived between the dirt and maybe six inches above the helmet. It happened to be a fastball around chin-high, and he hammered a run-scoring single.

It had snowed in these parts three days earlier, some areas reporting full-on hailstorms, but you'd never have known it Saturday. This was a perfect, cloudless day, everyone feeling the spirit of renewal. Spring training is a guy wearing number 97, bound for Class A ball. It's a sloping, pristine lawn behind the outfield fences, packed with fans in picnic mode. It's an advertisement for the Hotel Valley Ho and a couple of scouts in straw hats, debating the merits of a prospect's batting stance.

A few thoughts along the way:

-- The Angels have been widely described as a tightly wound, uptight organization, and it became clear Saturday that they just don't get it. Worried about the extra slate of exhibition games this spring (due to the World Baseball Classic), they're not playing any regulars until next week. They should realize that spring is for the fans, as well; you have to field at least a semblance of your starting lineup. Credit Bochy for starting the above-mentioned players plus Buster Posey, Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt, choosing pride and common sense over paranoia.

-- The Giants will see a lot of center fielder Gary Brown this spring, particularly after Pagan departs for the WBC. He has a funky stance, holding the bat close to his side and wig-wagging it loosely, but the Giants won't mess with a man's style as long as it works. Brown turned on a right-hander's fastball for a bullet double in the sixth, but struck out on a breaking pitch down the middle his next time up.

-- Kensuke Tanaka, signed in January after a long and distinguished career in Japan, has the look of a take-charge guy at second base: tight, compact movements, never the hint of a wandering mind. His stoic reaction surely masked frustration when he made a one-hop throw to first base (scooped by Brett Pill) after fielding a routine grounder in the fifth, but he made up for it later by turning a double play and starting another (4-6-3) with a veteran's touch.

At the plate, Tanaka adopts the stance used by countless left-handed Japanese players since the legendary Sadaharu Oh in the 1960s, lifting his right leg as the pitch comes in. Most American scouts aren't thrilled at the sight ("typical," I heard one of them mutter in disgust), but Tanaka was a .294 lifetime hitter over 13 seasons in Japan. He'll be allowed to properly state his case.

-- Strange to see the appearance of Sergio Romo, because it all seemed so wrong: sixth inning, facing a bunch of guys he'll probably never see again, his catcher (Jackson Williams) wearing No. 92. Still, Romo will be the Giants' primary closer this season, and the slider was there in all its glory. The mere sight of him - as well as Jeremy Affeldt taking the mound in the fifth - brought a smile and crystal-clear memories.

-- Team President Larry Baer dropped into the press box for a moment, looking not at all like a satisfied world champion, but rather a man intent on making it happen again. "Can't believe how quickly the offseason passed," he said before bustling off. "Like a blur."